“Frozen” director Jennifer Lee has confirmed she will not be returning to direct the third instalment of the popular Disney franchise according to The Wrap.
The two “Frozen” films are part of a global brand built around products, music, video games, theme parks, stage musicals and films, both feature-length and short. To date, the two films have earned a total of $2.73 billion at the box-office.
Plans for a third “Frozen were announced in February, alongside news of sequels to both “Toy Story” and “Zootopia”. Lee will be working in some type of advisory role on the project but is stepping back from helming herself as the project.
She tells the outlet the project is being spearheaded by someone else, though she won’t say who:
“I can’t say where we are [with our ‘Frozen 3’ story]. All our stories are driven by the artists in the studio. Where we’re going with ‘Frozen’ did not come from me. It came from an incredible person. That’s a new piece. I’ve told no one. And I’ve been blown away by it and I’m just having a blast with that team.
I’m doing what I do with all the other projects. It’s really fun on ‘Frozen,’…cause we’ve lived the world for awhile together and a lot of the artists in the studio grew up with that film too, both of them and have been there the whole way… They kinda own them as much as anyone else.”
Lee also wouldn’t reveal any further information on what the plot of the new “Frozen” is. Her current role as Chief Creative Officer for the Walt Disney Company keeps her busy, but she admits she “would love to direct again” and she “can’t imagine anywhere but Disney” to do so.
